KADUNA- Motorists in Kaduna have bemoaned the recent hike in fuel pump price announced by the Federal Government, decrying that the development would impact on the cost of goods and services.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NNPC Ltd. Retail Management had approved the upward review of PMS pump price from N617 per litre to N897 per litre effective Sept. 3.
Some of the residents, who spoke to NAN on Thursday urged the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, revert the hike considering the untold hardship faced by the masses.
Mrs Larai Usman, a resident of Barnawa, said that the fuel pump price increase would further impact on the costs of food items and other commodities.
Usman also said that the cost of transportation would inevitably shoot up, which would in turn further affect prices of goods and services.
“The obnoxious development is rather saddening as it will render a lot of households handicapped.
“Most of the people now can hardly afford three square meals, let alone have enough to transport themselves to work or business premises,” she said.
Similarly, Mr Khalid Mujtapha, a commercial motorist resident in Mando said he bought a litre of fuel for N1, 300, a situation he described as unfortunate and bad for business.
“If this situation persists, most of the commercial motorists will park their cars and seek other alternative means of survival.
“You can imagine buying fuel close to N60, 000 to travel from Kaduna to Kano,” he said.
In the same vein, Mr Ibrahim Addo, a commercial tricycle (Keke) operator on his part said that patronage had declined as most of the people have resorted to trekking to schools, work places or business premises.
“If you visit strategic junctions within the metropolis, you will find lots of Keke in long queues waiting to take turns and that’s because passengers are scarce to come by,” he decried.
Meanwhile Mr David Solomon, an Official of NURTW at Sabo said the union was handicapped on the development as the matter was solely a Federal Government affair.
“We can only keep pleading with our members not to take advantage of the situation and increase transport fares indiscriminately even though some of them cannot help but do so.
“I believe the union at the national level will collaborate with sister unions, especially the NLC to see what can possibly be done to reverse the unfortunate development,” he said.
NAN reports that some independent marketers in Kaduna have started selling fuel between N1, 000 and N1, 300 per litre. (NAN)
